PolyU presents Bio Home products at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair

May 6, 2009 - PRLog -- A series of Bio Home products produced by the students of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) with support from the industry were showcased at the Hong Kong Houseware Fair held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 20-23 April 2009.

The eco-friendly household products featured at the Fair included the Beer Colder, Energy-saving Light, Ionic Dust Cleaner, Power-less Lighter, Reusable Water Guider, Smart Curtain, Solar Plant Feeder, Squeezing Bin, Ultrasonic Washer, Vegetable Washer and Wind Catcher.  They were all created by PolyU students under the Bio Home project, the first industry-university collaborative project initiated by the University and Bunhoi Group.

According to Dr Alan Lau, Project Coordinator and Associate Professor of the University's Department of Mechanical Engineering, the Bio Home project aims to nurture the creative thinking ability of students in product design and development.   A series of programmes were organized for the participating students to learn and practice their skills in designing, producing and marketing environmental-friendly household products. They included: technical seminars on product design; industrial and academic visits to factories and companies in Australia and the Chinese Mainland; and summer placement scheme.

The three-year Bio Home project was launched in 2008 with a funding support of $1 million from Bunhoi Group.  The Faculty of Engineering has also funded the project with HK$300,000 with a view to enabling more students to participate in it.

"The project is a good example of our 'Outcome-based' Education programme," said Dr Lau.  Apart from showcasing what the students have learned on product design and development, the Hong Kong Houseware Fair was also an arena to test their skills in marketing products to international buyers.  

It is hoped that the Bio Home project may set a model to encourage collaboration between the industry and PolyU in nurturing preferred graduates to better serve the needs of the market and the society.  "This is a win-win situation and we hope that our graduates can help the development of the industry in the long run," he said.

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PolyU offers a wide range of courses which directly meets industrial, commercial and community needs. It also provides the public and private sectors in Hong Kong with expanding range of consultancy, professional training and applied research services.